USAID Gives US$455 Million Reasons For Members Of Congress To Reject Portions Of US Taxpayer Borrowing For Ukraine. They Ask Why U.S. Taxpayers Should Help European Union Taxpayers Spend Less?
Shouldn’t This US$455 Million Be Responsibility Of European Union?
Why Should United States Taxpayers Borrow Money To Benefit Taxpayers In The European Union?
Waste Of Money: USAID Spending US$455 Million In United States Taxpayer Funds To Help Ukraine Companies Export To EU
Why Are United States Taxpayers Borrowing US$230 Million For USAID To Assist Ukraine Companies To “meet EU regulations” And “export more of their products and services into Europe” And Borrowing US$225 Million To “speed up the transportation of Ukrainian goods to the EU”
These Non-Miliary-Focused Objectives Are Why Members Of The United States Congress Object To Certain Funding For Ukraine
USAID
Washington DC
19 July 2023
“Today in Kyiv, Administrator Samantha Power announced that the United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, will work with Congress to provide an additional $230 million to support Ukraine’s economy and reconstruction, by bolstering private sector productivity, job creation, and exports.
As a result of Russia’s full-scale military invasion, Ukraine’s economy contracted by an estimated 31 percent in 2022 and faced significant unemployment challenges. With this funding, USAID will provide technical assistance to Ukrainian businesses to help scale their operations, meet EU regulations to export more of their products and services into Europe, and ultimately create jobs for more Ukrainians. USAID will also work with financial institutions to offer grants and technical assistance to provide the financing these businesses need to grow and build Ukraine’s future.
USAID will also advance a strong, diverse, and open Ukrainian economy by strengthening the business support ecosystem and helping small, medium, and large Ukrainian enterprises become more competitive and sustainable. Small businesses are the primary source of economic activity and employment in Ukraine. USAID will support workforce development, including training, aimed at providing approximately 100,000 new jobs which will contribute to bolstering the economy and increasing public revenue, which can help reduce the need for external assistance.
This new funding reaffirms the United States’ commitment to the people of Ukraine. Since Putin’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, the United States, through USAID, has provided more than $23 billion in humanitarian, economic, and development assistance to Ukraine.”
“I think with the full-scale invasion, obviously, the amount of USAID assistance is in an entirely different level. We've provided $19 billion worth of just direct budget support – just cash – to the Government of Ukraine to help pay pensioners each month, to pay first responders, to pay teachers, health clinics, the services provided there, but also the professionals who work in the health sector. That's been a huge part of it, but the other work – which is maybe less visible to your average Ukrainian – is support for independent media, support for anti-corruption institutions, support for judicial reform, and, critically, support for the Ukrainian economy.” Samantha Power
Ukraine Business News (20 July 2023): “USAID plans to invest $230M in Ukrainian business. The US Agency for International Development will work with Congress to accomplish this goal. USAID head Samantha Paver [sic] said that the money should help companies comply with EU rules and export more goods and services to Europe, USAID head Samantha Paver [sic] said. It will also help enterprises scale and expand their activities and create more jobs. In addition, according to Paver [sic], USAID will help attract investors to the Ukrainian market. "We will expand the use of tools such as low-interest loans or business grants and guarantees in case of first loss, reducing the risk of investing in Ukraine. And we will work together to attract more investment and participation from the private sector here in Ukraine. This is again an investment in the sustainability of today, as well as in the economy of tomorrow," Paver [sic] emphasized.”
Ukraine Business News (6 December 2023): “The US allocated $225M to construct the Eurotrack to accelerate Ukrainian exports. The USAID and Ukrainian Railways (UZ) signed a memorandum to build a two-track railway section 75 km long. It will connect Lviv with the Trans-European transport network of the EU. Ukrainian railways use a wide gauge, while railways in European countries have a standard, smaller gauge. This makes it necessary to overload wagons at border railway crossings. Overloading one train can last more than five hours, limiting the number of trains crossing Ukraine's borders with European countries daily. This time-consuming process reduces the transportation efficiency of grain and other agricultural products. USAID will provide UZ with technical support in constructing a two-track section to speed up the transportation of Ukrainian goods to the EU. The connection of the railway hub in Lviv with European railway corridors will allow the loading of agricultural products directly into wagons designed for the standard European gauge, which will speed up the delivery of these goods to EU ports.”
European Union (EU): Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.
Since 24 February 2022, governments (from their respective taxpayers) of approximately fifty (50) countries have directed (directly and indirectly) along with government (taxpayer) funded international financial institutions more than US$200 billion in commercial, economic, financial, humanitarian, military, and political support for Ukraine.
In 2022, the 117th United States Congress appropriated US$113.1 billion for Ukraine with those funds disbursed from 2022 through 2026 (or earlier as ordered equipment becomes available for delivery and other support is required). Through other spending authorities, the Biden-Harris Administration (2021- ) has allocated billions of United States Dollars in additional economic, financial, military, and political funding to the government of Ukraine. The 117th United States Congress (House of Representatives and Senate) was controlled by the Democratic Party. The 118th United States Congress has a House of Representatives controlled by the Republican Party.
Since 24 February 2022, the Brussels, Belgium-based European Union (EU) has committed approximately US$30 billion primarily in financing, loans, and loan guarantees; along with a June 2023 announced approximately US$54.5 billion in multi-year funding to Ukraine; and continues to discuss a four-year US$5 billion annual commitment for military equipment.
Ursula von der Leyen, President (2019- ) of the Brussels, Belgium-based European Commission (EC), the operational entity for the members of the EU, shared that the EU, collectively, as a “special responsibility” for Ukraine.
“Can we imagine the EU without Ukraine, Moldova, or the Western Balkans? Do we want to see these parts of Europe influenced by Russia or China? It is impossible. So, the direction of movement is clear.” Ursula von der Leyen
On 24 February 2022, the armed forces of the Russian Federation invaded and further invaded the territory of Ukraine in what Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation (2000-2008 and 2012- ), defined as a Special Military Operation [SMO] then on 22 December 2022 he redefined as a war. The initial invasion by the armed forces of the Russian Federation was in part from the territory of the Republic of Belarus.
The war between the Russian Federation and Ukraine did not commence on 24 February 2022. The roots began their trajectories on 20 February 2014 when the armed forces of the
Russian Federation invaded the Crimean Peninsula and the area known as the Donbas Region (Donetsk Oblast and Luhansk Oblast).
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